Virgin T Owner expecting my first and its a GBB

[GeekFIxUk]

Hey guys and gals from sunny England!

As the title suggest, ive bitten the bullet and ordered my first T, a Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens Female (6cm) – GBB from spidersworld.eu

Before anyone panics, ive spent the best part of 2-3 weeks watching The Dark Den (mainly over the latter) and Exotics Lair on youtube, daily for hours. So i feel ive done my homework but still have a few questions if anyone could help fill the gaps. Maybe best see if i am going in the right direction:

• I know they are skittish yet docile but don't plan on handling it, i want it to be a well cared for display tarantula. I mean i have no issue handling her if absolutely necessary.
• Ive gone for a female as they live longer, are more colourful and larger (yay for me)
• They like a dry low humidity enclosure with good ventilation so ive got an Exo Terra Mini Tall Terrarium 30 x 30 x 45cm Glass coming, along with a small water bowl, coco substrate, 30cm Exo-terra branch, live plant 6cm Ionantha Red, plastic hanging vine x1, cork bark and a day/night led light. Also a temp/humidity digital monitor.
• Because im in the Uk the temperature here can regularly drop way below 20 degrees C i have a heat mat coming with a Habistat heat mat thermostat. I'm planning on keeping it between 22-26 degrees c, however as my little T can cool down if needed the heat mat is only half the size of terrarium and think i might put it on the opposing side of where im going to use the bark for a burrow. Any thoughts would be great, such as where is best to put the temperature probe for the thermostat?
• I believe as it likes a dry or near dry substrate, i guess ill let the coco fibre brick expand in water and then let it dry out? Im also stumped on whether any leaf litter or spag moss would be needed as this may increase humidity? All i gather a little over pour when filling the water bowl is more than enough.
• Feed wise i heard it was better to vary diet between 2 insects but at 6cm size should i be looking at meal worms over super worms and red runner roachers over dubai roaches? On a side note, do they do the happy dance after being fed? lol
• Now to my main question, cleaning and maintenance of the terrarium. Obviously by now i know to be attentive during feeding and remove any live insects if they dont eat it and also remove any dead insects but how does one deal with tarantula poo. I mean i realise im not expecting mountains of poo, lol, but can i use a cleaning crew of spring tales and woodlice? Is a bio active substrate possible in an arid enclosure?

I think I've covered it all there but if anyone sees something ive missed then please feel free to speak up, im all ears

 

[Liquifin]

Let me give my personal simplified answers to some of your questions

They like a dry low humidity enclosure with good ventilation so ive got an Exo Terra Mini Tall Terrarium 30 x 30 x 45cm Glass coming, along with a small water bowl, coco substrate, 30cm Exo-terra branch, live plant 6cm Ionantha Red, plastic hanging vine x1, cork bark and a day/night led light. Also a temp/humidity digital monitor.

Why live plants? Live plants mostly need higher mositure/humidity to thrive and GBB likes it dry, so I would take out the plant.

Because im in the Uk the temperature here can regularly drop way below 20 degrees C i have a heat mat coming with a Habistat heat mat thermostat. I'm planning on keeping it between 22-26 degrees c, however as my little T can cool down if needed the heat mat is only half the size of terrarium and think i might put it on the opposing side of where im going to use the bark for a burrow. Any thoughts would be great, such as where is best to put the temperature probe for the thermostat?

When the cooler temps come it's better for a space heater for a heat source, but a heat pad can work if used "specifically" but I'll let another user answer that for you. A tarantula will do fine in room temperature, so as long as it's not too cold it'll do just fine.

I believe as it likes a dry or near dry substrate, i guess ill let the coco fibre brick expand in water and then let it dry out? Im also stumped on whether any leaf litter or spag moss would be needed as this may increase humidity? All i gather a little over pour when filling the water bowl is more than enough.

Yes, dry substrate is perfect, leaf litter can be added if it's dry but the spagnum moss isn't necessary nor should it be added. Humidity numbers will get your tarantulas killed since it's something most people on this forums avoid. What you need to be more concern about is the substrate dryness/moistness instead of humidity for your Tarantula to thrive.

Feed wise i heard it was better to vary diet between 2 insects but at 6cm size should i be looking at meal worms over super worms and red runner roachers over dubai roaches? On a side note, do they do the happy dance after being fed? lol

Any of those feeders would work, but the Red runner works the best of them all. Variety is good, but they can thrive on just one food source/feeder. Also it's not Dubai, it's actually Dubia since they do not come from Dubai. Dubia roaches come from South America not Dubai.

Now to my main question, cleaning and maintenance of the terrarium. Obviously by now i know to be attentive during feeding and remove any live insects if they dont eat it and also remove any dead insects but how does one deal with tarantula poo. I mean i realise im not expecting mountains of poo, lol, but can i use a cleaning crew of spring tales and woodlice? Is a bio active substrate possible in an arid enclosure?

usually remove uneaten prey after 24 hours if not eaten or remove if it's preparing to molt. Poop/bolus is very, very ,very to clean, which just requires spot cleaning. Springtails are great, but they thrive on moist substrate, which is the opposite of what a GBB thrives on. So no, a bioactive enclosure is not suitable for a GBB and should be avoided.

2-3 weeks watching The Dark Den (mainly over the latter) and Exotics Lair on youtube

Dark den is okay if you watch his beginner video 101, and Exotics Lair is not reliable at all. Exotics Lair is a terrible source for information as his youtube channel is meant for entertainment not education. I recommend Tom Moran for youtube info on Tarantulas.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

Thanks Liquifin, yes i should of added that Exotic Lair wasn't for info more when i fancied something more entertaining. But i will certainly look at Tom Moran seeing as i always have Youtube running in my office when i work and i always work at home in my office. lets just say i get more than my moneys worth from Youtube Red.

With regards to my office, its on the top floor in the attic so insulation is near zero and ok when im in there, the temp is fine but the moment I'm out and my pc's are off the temp drops quick, especially in our colder seasons. Location wise she will be out of direct sunlight next to my main work desk so i can keep my beadie eye on her

Ill take note of the plant and spank it into a plant pot on my desk, hindsight being beautiful I realise it was daft and was thinking anchor points. Same with my special "Dubai" roaches, lol, you got me! Just a daft spelling mistake

Finally with regard to going Bioactive, i had a feeling that would be the case and that's why i thought id check and im glad i did, thank you. Which brings me to how often would one need to change the substrate then or is that a question as long as a piece of string? Anyway Thanks again Liquifin.

 

[Teal]

YouTube video personalities are entertainers, not educators. So you need to do some PROPER research.

All the materials you purchased sound better suited to a reptile than a tarantula. T enclosures are very simple -

1. Provide good ventilation
2. Provide lots of webbing points (fake plants, bark pieces, etc)
3. Provide a water dish with only water in it (no sponge or anything else)
4. No lights, meters, or heating implements directly on the enclosure. They do not need a specific temperature, and people chase numbers if they have a meter. Heating implements affixed directly to the enclosure will dessicate a spider as they are drawn to heat like a moth to flame.

For a GBB in particular, they like more space. And even though they are technically terrestrial, they are better with some height than more heavy-bodied species. Still, you don't want the distance between substrate and lid to be more than 2x the spider's legspan.

For feeding, it doesn't matter. Feed the same type of prey or switch it up.. it is up to you. Just don't use bugs you catch outside because of the pesticide risk.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

Thanks Teal, advice noted. Height was taken into consideration when choosing my terrarium, hence going with 45cm height. Seeing as the next size down was 30cms i thought it may be too small when she maxes out in span. I wasnt technically wanting to chase "numbers" but more as a guideline for me to make sure i didn't go wrong. However im not sure how low temps a GBB is happy with, in the uk even in our summer months our temps can easily drop bellow 10-15 degrees c and our winter months easily and well below 10 degrees c. FOr example today its been a nice 22 degrees but its down to 12 degrees now at night and still dropping.

 

[mack1855]

OH crap!!!!..you ordered a WHAT!!!!.
Do you have any idea how nasty,unholy and totally psychotic that T is going to be.

Have fun.Post pics..

 

[GeekFIxUk]

OH crap!!!!..you ordered a WHAT!!!!.
Do you have any idea how nasty,unholy and totally psychotic that T is going to be.

Have fun.Post pics..

Hahaha, thanks! No intention of cuddling her
Hell, even when i said it would be handled as a last resort i meant when hell froze over and can either feed her from the top lid or front double doors

 

[BennyBTamachi]

Welcome to the hobby!!! It is a really beautiful T you are getting

Same comments as the others (no exotic lair as source of info, no temp/humidity monitor, no live plants, no springtails, heatmat not recommended...), however I would add one more:
For re-housing better not to reproduce The Dark Den methods IMO, he usually pokes the spider with a straw to make her moves into a cup, his hand, or directly into the new enclosure, which actually makes it sometimes bolt outside of the enclosure while often it could have been avoided by placing directly the catch cup over the T and then sliding the lid below the cup for easy transfer. Well then of course the T is not always in the outside, but I would recommend Tom Moran re-housing video for education on that matter. Only my personnal opinion

Cheers
And enjoy!!

 

[GeekFIxUk]

Welcome to the hobby!!! It is a really beautiful T you are getting

Same comments as the others (no exotic lair as source of info, no temp/humidity monitor, no live plants, no springtails, heatmat not recommended...), however I would add one more:
For re-housing better not to reproduce The Dark Den methods IMO, he usually pokes the spider to make her moves into a cup, his hand, or directly into the new enclosure, which actually makes it sometimes bolt outside of the enclosure while often it could have been avoided by placing directly the catch cup over the T and then sliding the lid below the cup for easy transfer. Well then of course the T is not always in the outside, but I would recommend Tom Moran re-housing video for education on that matter. Only my personnal opinion

Cheers
And enjoy!!

Thanks Benny, much appreciated! Im deep into watching Tom Moran now

The one think i keep getting concerned about or cant find an answer too, how low a temperature is acceptable for T's? Im not sure some peeps realise how cold it can get here even in summer, i mean im not talking Iceland temps. And my office being excluded from our house heating system (cheap ass landlord). Is there a low temp that is bad for T's?

 

[Kitara]

OH crap!!!!..you ordered a WHAT!!!!.
Do you have any idea how nasty,unholy and totally psychotic that T is going to be.

Hahahaha

@GeekFIxUk I'm super new so take any advice with a grain of salt. My second T (about a month or so ago) was a GBB and I just love her to pieces. She's so cute! She DOES do the happy dance while she is eating. Mine is 6.5cm, but unsexed. I have an exuvia so I'm going to attempt to sex her (oh that sounds weird!) when she lets me take it out of her enclosure. I posted some pictures of her in the tarantula's picture forum under Kitara's tarantula pictures.

So, I feed her b. lataralis roaches because they don't burrow (usually), I don't have to squish the heads (mealworms/superworms), and they were really cheap. She takes them down really easily and seems to like them so that's it for now. I don't trade off between two different foods.

Exo Terra Mini Tall Terrarium 30 x 30 x 45cm

I hope someone will jump in and correct me if I'm wrong. With a 45cm tall enclosure, you will need to fill so full with substrate because there shouldn't be more than 12cm between the top of the enclosure and the substrate (2x baby's diagonal leg span (DLS)). If this is the same terrarium I was looking at, the door is in the front so you can only fill about 10cm of substrate. It also has a mesh top which is a no-go. I was just researching enclosures yesterday so I could rehouse my baby. She grew a lot with her molt.

Which brings me to how often would one need to change the substrate then or is that a question as long as a piece of string?

You don't need to change it until you rehouse. She's going to web it all up you're not going to want to destroy all her hard work.

Ok, truth be told, I snickered just a little at the Dubai roaches and I also watch Exotics Lair (shh) because he makes me laugh. It's entertainment, not research.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

@Kitara Thanks for your response! Any and all feedback is appreciated. i was planning on putting a pretty decent deep substrate in it at around what you suggested so that's nice to know. Had a peak at your beauty and she is definitely that, stunning! On a side note, any idea why a mesh lid is a no-go? Ventilation may be tough otherwise as i cant see any other vent holes anywhere

 

[BennyBTamachi]

On a side note, any idea why a mesh lid is a no-g

Mainly 2 risks:
- The T can potentially chew through the mesh and escape.
- When wandering on the lid, its tarsal claw can get stuck in the mesh lid and she can lose a leg
(Some keepers have used mesh lids for long period of time with no issue, but the risk is there).

Cheers!

 

[Kitara]

^^This. So many smart people in this group.

@GeekFIxUk there are a lot of super handy people around here if you are good with DIY. Do a search in the group for mesh and you'll find a lot of suggestions on how to fix it.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

Thanks again @Kitara and @BennyBTamachi for that info. Having looked into it it seems to be a stainless steel mesh thats pretty tightly woven. Being a red blooded man ive come up with a solution that solves the mesh issue and still allows me to ventilate AND use power tools. Ive ordered a 5mm thick 30cmx30cm acryllic piece and ill trace out the mesh lid as it seems to have a semi circle in each corner to hold it in place. Then i can break out my dremel to cut it out and then drill some vent holes in the top. Should match the mesh top piece exactly and fit in place

 

[Kitara]

So crafty! Sounds like a plan. I'm excited for you to get your new baby. I am ridiculously addicted to my littles.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

Yeah i cant wait! Way to excited! What do you think of the idea of cutting a door hatch into the lid? Slap a couple of hinges on it and ive got a top feeding hatch

 

[Kitara]

@GeekFIxUk mine opens from the top and I just dump the roach in from above. The new enclosure I'm buying also opens from the top. I see no problem with it except that mine webs the lid some. I try not to wreck it too much when I open, but she just fixes it.

 

[GeekFIxUk]

@GeekFIxUk mine opens from the top and I just dump the roach in from above. The new enclosure I'm buying also opens from the top. I see no problem with it except that mine webs the lid some. I try not to wreck it too much when I open, but she just fixes it.

I have a habit of modding a lot of stuff I order to match requirements so my skills are up to scratch. Will put a door in it. Tank arrives today (I say today but it's 0318am here lol), the acrylic is ordered, 2 hinges and a recessed ring pull. Just need to figure out how to lock it, not for anyone getting in but her getting out but I'll do that in hand when it all arrives. Jeeze this beauty is getting expensive lol

 

[Predacons5]

This is a documentary clip of a GBB in the wild. It will give you an idea of what you can do for your enclosure.

 

[Thekla]

While GBBs are fine in larger enclosures, personally, I think an Exo Terra mini tall is way too big, especially for a juvenile of 6 cm. They can be used for a bigger arboreal species just fine, but I wouldn't use it for a GBB. The 30cm cube might be okay for an adult, but for your size, I'd get something smaller for now (maybe a 20 cm cube tops).

@Kitara said it:

With a 45cm tall enclosure, you will need to fill so full with substrate because there shouldn't be more than 12cm between the top of the enclosure and the substrate (2x baby's diagonal leg span (DLS)). If this is the same terrarium I was looking at, the door is in the front so you can only fill about 10cm of substrate.

You will always have at least 35 cm of height at the front, and that's way too high for a terrestrial, even one that can deal with a bit more height. When in premoult it could lose its footing and fall, which could be fatal.